SASSA Means Test
SASSA Means Test is a certain income and assets evaluation procedure launched by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). SASSA is ensuring that the social grants may be provided to the most deserving segments of society. In order to maintain transparency and merit in the whole process, you have to pass this evaluation test and verify yourself to avail the social grant.
What is SASSA Means Test?
Being a South African citizen, if you have applied for the social grants from SASSA and are in dire need to get some financial relief. Then, you should be well aware of the prerequisites of the system. One of them is Means Test. In this specific evaluation test, the SASSA team analyzes applicant’s current financial status which includes family income and assets.
Every applicant has to go through a detailed scrutiny process in which applicants have to provide bank statements, property details, investments and savings, if you have any. This is done just to ensure that deserving people can get the grant. If a family does not meet the certain threshold set by the SASSA, they will not be able to get the grant.
Who Can Apply for Means Test?
The criteria for the Means Test for various types of categories to assess the financial status of applicants. If your private income is high, then you have a lower number of chances to pass this test.
Types of SASSA Grants and Their Income Thresholds for Means Test
SASSA takes the Means Test for the following types of grants and has benchmarked their scales accordingly:
- Older Person, Disability, Grant in Aid and War Veterans Grants
If you are a single person your monthly income should not be more than R8,070 per month (R96,840 per year). In the case of a married couple, if both are earning, then their income will be considered collectively, and it should not cross the benchmark of R16,140 per month (R193,680 per year).
- Child Support Grant
Income scale for the single parent taking care of a child is R5,000 per month (R60,000 per year); however, for both parents earning, their income scale is R10,000 per month (R120,000 per year).
- Care Dependency Grant
The threshold set by the SASSA for this category is R20,800 per month (R249,600 per year) for a single parent or a caregiver. For both parents or caregivers, the collective income should not be more than R41,600 per month (R499,200 per year).
- Foster Children Grant
This category of grant does not require a Means Test.
Assets Threshold for Means Test for Various Categories
- Older Person, Disability, Grant in Aid, and War Veterans Grants
- To pass the Means Test, a single person should not own assets worth more than R1, 372, 800 and a married couple’s accumulated worth of assets should not exceed the limit of R2,745, 600.
The rest of the categories like the Child Support Grant, Care Dependency Grant, Foster Children Grant do not require Means Test for assets.
What Actually Includes in Income?
The following cash inflows coming from different sources are considered income in the eyes of SASSA and if such inflows increase the set benchmark of the SASSA, you will not pass the Means Test, hence you will not get the social grants:
- Pension Grant
- Earning from any of the businesses
- Getting aid from relatives or friends regularly
- Income coming from rental properties (house, shops, etc)
- Maintenance grants received in favor of ex-spouse children
- Income earned through a job
- Reimbursement of funds in cases of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), Road Accident Fund (RAF) and Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease Fund (COIDA).
What Actually is Included in Assets?
The following are counted as assets in the eyes of SASSA; for these, you have to pass the Means Test:
- If you have held money in your own or your spouse’s bank account.
- If you owned property or land. Further, outstanding bond property or land are exempt from assets.
- Your or your spouse’s long-term investments and dividends.
- Annuity after retirement.
- Long-term loans.
Conclusion
The Means Test is a scrutiny process by the SASSA designed to assess the financial status of the applicants in order to maintain transparency and fairness so that the social grants may be transmitted to the most deserving segments of society who are living below the poverty line. In order to get the social grant from SASSA every applicant must pass this test, which has different criteria for various categories explained above.
